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I have a slight addiction to Crystal Light and all kinds of fruit drinks. If calories were no option, I would drink Kool-Aid and fruit juice all day, every day.

I think I’ve written about it here before (combs through five years of archives) and yes! Yes I have.

Just call me Girl With Red Tongue.

I know that the fake sugars aren’t good for you. And regular sugar isn’t any better. But my problem is that once I get home from work, I don’t want to drink plain water anymore. I’ve had plain water all day. It’s quittin time! Now it is time for fruity, chemical-laden beverages!

I’ve read a lot of articles about how the fake sugars are just not good for you and that your body thinks it is real sugar, yada, yada, yada. I have blamed my inability to lose weight on this fact, and not the fact that I frequently eat enough food in one sitting to feed an entire starving nation. Don’t try and tell me any differently, by the way.

So! I have vowed to try and limit the fake sugars in my diet. I doubt I can cut them out completely. But my new goal is to limit myself to just the Splenda I put in my coffee every morning. No more Crystal Light after work! Yay for health!

This weekend at the grocery store I picked up a case of sparkling water. It was naturally flavored with a hint of orange. Let me make one thing clear, I don’t like sparkling water at all. If it isn’t going to taste like Orange Crush, then why would I be drinking it?

But, I figured what better way to get into a healthier habit! It’s water, but your brain thinks it is pop! Except not really because while it smells like orange pop, it tastes like sparkling water!

When I had my first can, it took me hours to finish it. Now? Now I can finish a can in just a few minutes. I’m slowly getting used to it, all of it – the lack of flavor, the strong smell of fruit that you can’t taste and the bubbles, oh those bubbles.

About the author

Kristabella, who also answers to “Hey! Drunk Girl!”, is a reformed band geek with an amazing ability to drink most people under the table. You can read her inane ramblings here, where she talks about her exciting life as a spinster with two cats and a fascination for Bacon.

Green tea or chamomile are tasty without sugar… especially if you throw in a slice of lemon while it’s still nice and hot. It might take a little getting used to though – definitely earthier tasting than orange pop. (When I started drinking chamomile I thought it tasted like dirt.) I persevered though – I was trying to cut down caffeine and sugar – and once you’re used to it, it’s pretty good.Jessica´s last blog post ..NaBloPoMo, Etc.

La Croix is not that great in terms of flavored water. My favorite is actually the Jewel brand flavored sparkling water. They have lime, lemon, lemon-lime, raspberry, and orange. Way better than La Croix and my favorite go-to calorie-free drink when I can’t stand plain water any more.Erin´s last blog post ..Trick or Treat

I went cold turkey and gave up Splenda this past summer. For coffee I’ll use a bit of honey or maple syrup. If not available I’ll use sugar over Splenda – only 15 calories per teaspoon.. hardly a deal breaker.Gav´s last blog post ..Thai Salad with Grilled Chicken

I drink EVERY flavor of the La Croix water (except coconut which is a little weird) – love that stuff! BUT, I discovered a neat trick this summer. I mix different flavors together – I know, I’m living a crazy life! Lime/Cranberry – Lemon/Lime – Grapefruit/Lime – Berry/Lime and even coconut/lime. It makes it more of a “drink” to me – fill a tall glass with tons of ice and enjoy!

I drink La Croix like it comes out of my faucet for free (and my husband likes to remind me –often — that it, in fact, does not), but I like it best when it’s ice cold.

There’s another brand called Sparkling Ice that’s flavored with fruit juice but still calorie/carb-free and they’re really, really good. (I get it at Publix, which is not an option for you, but they usually have it at Walgreens, too.) The Pink Grapefruit is my favorite, and the Black Raspberry is really good, too. It was kind of my in-between drink when I was going from a totally unacceptable number of Diet Cokes a day (which I no longer drink at all) to water, and it worked really well.Kate´s last blog post ..Favorite Things: November

For my New Year’s resolution earlier this year I cut out soda from my lunch routine and switched to sparkling water. Usually the Talking Rain flavors (because we had them at work already) and I’ve worked my way through the flavors to just the plain. The good news is that I lost 5 lbs right away and now most soda tastes too sweet.

I think the bubbles help the most. I used to hate sparkling water, but now it feels like the water’s a little more special. Cass´s last blog post ..Ten on Tuesday: Pasta Edition

I’m going to be that girl whose cause of death is Splenda. I drink so much iced tea with splenda and crystal light, it’s insane. I’m like you in that after my cup of coffee in the morning I switch to water at work. Except that I might nurse one (large) cup of water all day long. So no wonder I’m super thirsty at home and guzzling tea like there’s no tomorrow.

I never could get into sparkling water. But I’m not a major pop drinker either. So the bubbles without the syrup would probably annoy me. And I don’t put lemon or lime in my tea or water, so why would I do that with sparkling water? So yeah, cause of death: Splenda.

I do a little bit of 100% cranberry juice in a glass and then fill the glass with club soda or plain sparkling water. It has the fizz that makes me feel like I’m not drinking water and it has the taste of a light cranberry drink, but there’s so little actual juice in the cup that it’s still a low-cal option!

I went so crazy with sugar last Christmas season that I was actually looking forward to January 2, which I had decided would be the beginning of my sugar detox. I was shoving sugary foods into my mouth, even though I didn’t actually want them, but I just couldn’t help myself. I started my sugar detox at the beginning of the year and didn’t miss sugar at all. I cut out all sugars for a few weeks and immediately felt so much better. Since then, I’ve added a little more to my diet, but I’m really picky and very careful.

For me, candy, cookies, and other sweets are the real problem, so now I’m pretty careful about my splurges. Good quality gourmet chocolate, yes. Cheap chocolate, no. I had one fun size candy bar on Halloween and immediately started craving more cheap chocolate. I recognized the warning signs and stayed away and haven’t been tempted by my kids’ candy since. It’s just too risky for me.

I’ve had a few sugar binges in 2011 and always feel physically terrible afterward. In fact, one last summer was so bad that I woke up and felt like I had a hangover, complete with killer headache. It was terrible.

As for non-sugary drinks, I don’t tend to crave them. I’ve started drinking coffee and tea, but not every day and not more than once per day.Jen on the Edge´s last blog post ..Lousy